Museum Purchase: Indian Collection Subscription Fund, Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Art.

Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.

Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.

Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.

Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.

Carving knife with a short steel blade, round metal neck piece and wooden handle. Knife looks as if it may have originally been manufactured/store bought, then modified by hand to fit better. The handle, neck and lower part of blade have red paint remnants and/or splatters. The blade shows major sharpening marks.

Sago peg with carved head. Peg is split from its tapered bottom through the thicker middle to the carved head, which features the face of a man under the figure of a bird. The long face spans two facets of the roughly diamond-shaped head, with engraved eyes, heavy brow and long pointed nose over protruding lips in an undercut chin. A bird sits on the man's head, curled into itself, with long pointed beak dropping down toward the man's forehead. It is painted black and dark brown, with round, light brown eyes.

Sago peg with carved head. Peg is split from its tapered bottom through the thicker middle to the carved head, which features the face of a man under the figure of a bird. The long face spans two facets of the roughly diamond-shaped head, with engraved eyes, heavy brow and long pointed nose over protruding lips in an undercut chin. A bird sits on the man's head, curled into itself, with long pointed beak dropping down toward the man's forehead. It is painted black and dark brown, with round, light brown eyes.

Sago peg with carved, painted head. Peg is split from its tapered bottom to the thicker midpoint, where it is wrapped with a wide band of woven rattan. Its top is painted a dark brown with areas of lacquering, and carved into the heads of a human and a bird. Two faces each span two facets of the diamond-shaped human head, featuring engraved eyes and protruding lips in an undercut chin. Above is the bird’s head, sitting atop a long curved neck with parted beak dropping toward the forehead of one of the human faces.

Sago peg with carved, painted head. Peg is split from its tapered bottom to midpoint, where it is wrapped with a wide band of woven rattan as well as two thin rings also of woven rattan. Its top is painted a dark brown with areas of lacquering, and carved into the heads of a human and a bird. Two faces each span two facets of the diamond-shaped human head, featuring protruding eyes and brows, and protruding lips in an undercut chin. Above is the bird’s head, sitting atop a long curved neck with parted beak dropping toward the forehead of one of the human faces. Small wings are blunt and partially unfurled.